Death is a reality. No one can adequately prepare for it,
but come it must.

In Barbados,
the services of the nearby funeral parlour have long represented that symbol of
support and anchor to families when the inevitable moment arrives.

Over the years, the name Lyndhurst
has been providing caring service at home, in the Caribbean
region and at times further afield, and has become synonymous with extending empathy
to those experiencing the pain of bereavement.

Ours is a rich and fascinating history, dating back over the
past half century. Indeed, our lineage stretches even further back to the days
of our precursors, Burton and Company and later, Parkinson and Gill, household
names in time.

The technology of this medium now makes it possible for us
at Lyndhurst to make our services
even more personalized and direct.

We provide services in
embalming suitable for all climates, burials on land and at sea, cremation,
repatriations to any part of the globe and perpetual cemetery care.

We advise on documentation and coffin requirements for all air
services.

We deliver efficient service for embassies worldwide.

We provide documentation delivery service for cremation.

We translate official documents, i.e. death certificates, invoices
and reports. We alleviate any language problems often associated with
probate when death occurs.

We offer a range of caskets, coffins and urns conforming to
international shipping standards.

Lyndhurst
Ltd. is situated less than a mile from the centre of the city of Bridgetown.
It is one of the oldest and best known of all Barbadian funeral establishments
having kept pace with the latest state-of-the-art technology, with the best
mortuary facilities on the island.

In the beginning:
Lyndhurst was founded and incorporated in 1954 and began business on January 1,
1955, from the home of its founder Mr. Colin Parkinson in Strathclyde, a
stone's throw from its present location at Passage
Road, St. Michael. One of the several small plantations
in urban Barbados
is said to have occupied the present site.

Before Lyndhurst
was Parkinson and Gill, and before that establishment was Burton and Company at
Pinfold Street near the YMCA, which was owned by Bob "Poor Bob" Parravicino.

An impressive pantheon of funeral
directors and morticians is associated with this institution - Parravicino, Burton,
Parkinson, Gill, Lewis, Bryan and Griffith.

Colin Parkinson went to work with
John Burton in 1941. He and a Mr. Lewis were soon jointly running the business
after the death of Mr. Burton. Around 1951, they were joined by George Gill,
who would later form a company known as Parkinson and Gill Ltd, at a property
known as Lyndhurst.

In 1955, their first and best
year of business, they conducted a grand total of 459 funerals. The company was
so successful that 10 years later it bought out Burton and Company and the
Parravicinos became 23 per cent shareholders.

Competition in those days was
razor sharp; practices to acquire work ranged from the ethical to the unethical
to the ridiculous. Gradually, the environment took on a more sophisticated tone
with the arrival of improved technology, training of practitioners and other
procedures.

Meanwhile, a young Barbadian had
packed up and left for England
with his wife and baby son, to study the science of embalming and other preservation
techniques. On his return in 1979, Peter Griffith joined Lyndhurst
and ushered in a new approach to all aspects of the business.

Our greatest asset:
After four years at Lyndhurst, Griffith
branched out on his own and opened Barbados Funeral Service at Cheapside
in Bridgetown. By 1987, he was
invited back to take over the reins at Lyndhurst
as Colin Parkinson went into retirement after nearly 40 years in the business.

Griffith and a former partner of
Lyndhurst, Michael Bryan, both returned and reorganized the company, but the
association lasted only three years when Bryan departed again, leaving Griffith
the sole proprietor.

At Lyndhurst,
our most prized asset is our staff. The company employs 28 people, most of whom
have been with us for several years. From office staff to operators of vehicles
to maintenance staff, all are dedicated people who go on beyond the call of
duty on a daily basis.

Why a Lyndhurst
website? In this age of
high technology, no company can make appreciable progress these days without a
presence on the Internet. People are becoming more and more computer literate.

This website has facilities for
customizing your loved one's funeral, allowing you to select and design from
the programme leaflet to the casket to the gravesite.